


Flower Power

by rhapshie



Category: Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Shishido is a tsundere with social skill of a potato, and the whole hyoutei gang is here too
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-16
Updated: 2018-04-16
Packaged: 2019-04-23 17:30:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14337504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rhapshie/pseuds/rhapshie
Summary: Shishido had always considered flowers lame until he met Ootori who changed his mind in a matter of seconds.





	Flower Power

**Author's Note:**

> This is an old, unfinished work that I finally decided to continue. I really don't know how to finish it without making a long-ass multichap, so here we go.
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy it and don't forget to leave kudos and comments!

Atobe frowned at the sight in front of him. Yes. Atobe. _Frowned._ The rest of the regulars might as well take a commemorative picture and put it in a golden frame to stick on the notification board in the university, for generations to marvel at. If only they weren’t frowning along with him. All of their sights focused on one lone man, whose puffy cheeks too flushed beyond words, uncomfortably shifting his weight from one leg onto the other. Bouquet of flowers with purple ribbon in his arms.

“…Shishido, did you…” Gakuto’s lips trembled in fear that his friend might have been struck with some spirit during his sleep. “…get those from a girl?”

“No way!” Yuushi exclaimed in a response to the redhead’s farfetched question. Under normal circumstances, Shishido would yell back in objection and shoot him the mighty you-wanna-fucking-go-you-bastard look. But his eyes were far too busy staring at his fidgety feet.

“Ryou totally bought that _for_ a girl, right?” Jirou stared at him with vibrant brown eyes wide open, couldn’t hide the astonishment.

“No…” The brunette answered sheepishly. _Sheepishly._ And Atobe’s eyes scanned the creature in front of him who was smiling to himself with cheeks as red as a tomato. He wanted to say _something_ but he couldn’t find the strength to. “I bought these for myself.” Shishido’s eyes sparkled.

“Okay, now you’re being creepy, Shishido-senpai,” Hiyoshi added as soon as a shiver ran down his spine. “Please drop the flowers.”

“ _Flowers_?! They’re not just _flowers,_ Hiyoshi.” He responded almost melodiously, it was as if he was trying to compose a classical piece in the middle of the tennis court. At that point, all the regulars around him took a step back, afraid to hear what was going to be said next. “You know… sunflower is a representation of the sun…” Shishido proclaimed, head suddenly snapped upwards to see the light shone by the sun, although hidden by clouds. “They illustrate warmth, happiness and longevity.”

“Shishido, you could have told us if you were sick,” Atobe commented in an absolutely concerned tone. “And it’s not too late to go home. In fact, I’m sure all seven of us would strongly advise that you do.”

“Oh, Atobe.” The brunette gripped the bouquet of flowers tightly in his arms. “If you consider this warmth rising through me as a sickness, then you’re wrong. It must be the sunflowers! It was right after all… The meaning is of this flower proves true.”

“ _Please_ go home.” Hiyoshi pressed, finding himself unable to cope with any more of that view.

Everyone scratched their heads when Shishido shook his head and insisted to practice. All of them crowded together to make theories behind his peculiar act, and Yuushi almost smacked a nail on Shishido’s forehead with his speculation.

“He’s definitely lovestruck, isn’t he?”

To completely understand what was really happening in Shishido’s head, we need to go back an hour, to around half past eight in the morning when he was taking a different route to the street court due to reconstruction happening in the usual path.

He was kinda ticked off due to the sudden event that took place because he was almost late to practice and Atobe would definitely make him run laps if he arrived any later than fifteen to nine. Sighing in defeat, he jogged through another path that would delay him. Not by long, but it was still annoying.

The last time he took that path was around three months ago, thanks to his favourite café that served the best ham and cheese sandwich in the area. But the store closed down without notice one day. Truly a shame. He didn’t think he would be able to taste anything as heavenly as the sandwich they make anymore.

“I wonder what kind of store replaced it.” Shishido mumbled to himself as soon as he drew near to the location.

He stopped short at his trail when he saw flower displays of all sizes, types and colours laid on the wooden rack outside the recently constructed shop. Inside, he could see some customers lining up on the register, and some others browsing the store.

“A flower shop?” The man grimaced in half disgust. “How lame.” He scowled, looking down at the bright yellow flower in front of him.

“Sunflower is a representation of the sun. They illustrate warmth, happiness and longevity.”

The brunette glowered at the object in front of him before turning his head and sharply commented. “Yeah? Well, I don’t give a rat’s ass ab—“

He really would have finished his sentence and walk off if only he wasn’t too stunned by the figure in front of him. Wide, innocent, childlike eyes that shone brightly under the sunlight reminded him of polished smoked topaz. His thin lips formed a wide smile full of sincerity and hospitality that you wouldn’t even dream to expect from people who works on retail these days. Every strand of his curly silver hair was radiating with purity that definitely couldn’t be found easily. His shoulders were broad and he seemed well-toned but still managed to look slim and graceful at the same time. In his hands were two pots of red flowers hung by wires.

“I guess flowers aren’t everyone’s thing.” The angel in front of him maintained his smile despite the crudeness that was fired his way. His long, slender fingers made their way up to the nails that were attached to the wooden rack to hang the pots.

“No, no. I _love_ flowers.” The brunette said out of reflex, still staring at his pale skin. “I’ll take ten of these.”

“Ten?” He beamed and it almost seemed like a gust of wind was blown from behind him, as Shishido nearly stumbled backwards. “Would you like me to create a bouquet for you?”

“Y-Yes. Yes, please.”

“Please, come inside!” The silver-haired male who was wrapped in orange apron said in delight. “What kind of ribbon would you like? Satin, grosgrain or woven? We also have stitched ribbons if you prefer them over the others.”

“Uh, what’s your suggestion…” Shishido trailed off to see the nametag half-hidden underneath the flower-patterned apron that looked irresistible on him.

“Ah, Ootori Choutarou.” The man gave him another smile while patting his nametag. “Sorry, I should really change its location. We have a special stitch on the clothes where our nametags are supposed to be. But I guess, I’m a little… uh… tall for my apron.”

If there was one thing Shishido failed to notice, it was the obvious height difference between them. What the hell?! He always considered himself to be rather tall compared to the majority, but the man next to him. He was like, what, 180 centimetres? Maybe more.

“A type of ribbon… It would definitely be purple woven, I think.” Ootori took the item from the top drawer with ease and grabbed the end of the material to extend it a little, letting Shishido feel the surface. “It’s soft and more reflective than others. For sunflowers, they’re definitely a good choice. But it’s entirely up to you, really.”

“You know a lot, don’t you, Ootori?” Miraculously, he managed to not stutter, although his heart was doing things he couldn’t even imagine it would ever do. Oh, of course, he had his fair share of girlfriends in the past. But not once he could ever imagine he would be smitten at the first sight. He would expect it from that Oshitari, but definitely not himself.

“Please call me Choutarou.” He responded melodiously as his connoisseur fingers tied the flowers with a specific material into a ribbon. “And what is your name, if I may know?”

“Shishido. Shishido Ryou. Uhm. You can call me Ryou, I guess. It’s only fair.”

“No, I can’t do that!” Ootori gasped. “You’re older than me right?”

“I’m… shorter than you, though.” Shishido muttered although he was clearly surprised by the sudden remark. Sure, the figure standing in front of him was much taller than he is, but his face definitely spoke otherwise.

“Don’t be silly, Shishido-san.” He giggled, almost shooting an arrow into Shishido’s heart. “Height doesn’t define our age now, does it?” They started to walk towards the register slowly. “You sound much more mature than I am. Anyone could tell that you’re the older one.”

“Choutarou darling, can you please give me a hand once you’re done?” A voice of a middle-aged lady became audible from the open garden behind the store.

“I’ll be there in a second, Nishiwaki-san!” He answered, raising his voice a little before apologising lightly. Shishido then paid a set amount for the bouquet and hesitantly smiled at him. “I hope to see you again, Shishido-san.” Ootori bowed deep.

“Yeah!” The shorter male nodded after a good few seconds of stunned silence.

.

“I understand if Yuushi and I do this, but…” Gakuto whispered, eyes closed and brows scrunched up together in a frown. “But why the hell are you guys with us?!” Gakuto raised his voice as their heads stuck out of the bush, causing leaves to remain on their hairs. Everyone had to put their index fingers on their lips in an attempt to shush him.

“We want to know what happened to Shishido-senpai.” Hiyoshi mumbled. Everyone could tell that his heart wasn’t in the spying activity, but he forced himself due to his curiosity. “I’m pretty sure he irked everyone enough already for the past few weeks, considering that the _great_ and _mighty_ Atobe-san would follow along.” He added dryly, adding extra emphasis on the words of compliment to show that he was being sarcastic.

“You guys have mediocre espionage skill. Looks like the great me have to show you how it’s done.” Smugly replying, he shrugged mockingly. Kabaji nodded beyond him, muttering ‘usu’.

“I’m just hoping that Atobe’s fanclub won’t—“

“Yikes!” Gakuto yelped when he spotted a group of girls in the distance, starting to look their way. Instantaneously, he put his hand on Atobe’s head and pushed him deeper into the bush to hide the man they were probably looking for.

“Why did you do that to me?! Such insolence!” The pompous captain whispered in anger, shoving Gakuto’s hand away from him. Afterwards, he patted the leaves away from his hair while trying to straighten them back.

“Look, look!” Jirou chimed in, putting both of his hands on Atobe’s head and pushed him downwards to prop himself up. “That’s ‘Shido!”

“Shut up, Jirou!” Gakuto hissed, afraid that the brunette might notice them.

“Sunflower, lily, hydrangea, rose, tulip…” Oshitari muttered some of the flowers that Shishido had brought to the tennis practice, only to be given a glare from his teammates.

“Who’s that guy?” Taki frowned when he saw a tall male emerging from the shop.

“You’re here again, Shishido-san!” Ootori beamed as soon as he saw the man waiting in front of the flower shop where he works at. “Did you have a good sleep?”

“It was alright, I guess. My neighbour didn’t throw another party last night, so.” He grinned. “And how're your studies going? Exam week is coming up for the high schoolers, right? Shouldn’t you focus on revision instead of part-time job?”

“I made my schedule already, Shishido-san. Thank you for the concern, though.” The silver-haired male threw him another smile that made heat rose inside his cheeks. Damn, damn, damn. That purple apron made him extra irresistible.

“Don’t tell me Shishido’s in love with that guy!” Gakuto yelped as soon as he heard the way his friend had laughed.

Hiyoshi narrowed his eyes. Initially, he wasn’t sure whether he was seeing right or not. Shishido was _blushing_. In front of his childhood friend. His lips were slightly agape as he stood up, couldn’t stand the view. Shishido was in _love_ with Ootori.

“Oi, Hiyoshi. Where are you going?” The redhead extended his arms to catch the brunette’s but failed.

“Ootori.” Hiyoshi called out, making the target looked behind his shoulder.

“Hiyoshi-kun!” The silver-haired male exclaimed, eyes open wide to illustrate that his presence was as surprising as his was to Hiyoshi. “What are you doing here?”

“You know, just wondering who Shishido-senpai’s crush might be. Never thought it’d be you.” The brunette muttered flatly and on his peripheral vision, he could see his poor senior’s shoulders tensed.

“Wh-What? Crush? That’s ridiculous. I-I just like flowers, that’s all.” Shishido crossed his arms, giving Hiyoshi his best death glare, but it seemed that time hadn’t been kind to him as Hiyoshi was now taller than him and he looked a little ridiculous looking up to someone he tried to intimidate.

“What’s this, you know him?” Gakuto leapt out of the bush, followed shortly by other members of Hyotei. Atobe was just behind them, brushing leaves out of his perfect hair.

“This is my neighbour, a childhood friend, Ootori Choutarou.” Introduced Hiyoshi as Ootori bowed deeply, a flowery smile adorning his thin lips and complementing his hazel eyes.

“Nice to meet you!” The silver-haired male chirped cheerfully before eyes landing on Shishido once more. “Are these the friends from your tennis club, Shishido-san?”

“Something like that.” Shishido murmured with repressed frustration and he hoped that his teammates would take the hint and scram already. However, he knew that it was a hopeless task since they absolutely revelled in being the bane of his existence. Now that they laid their dirty hands on some blackmail material that Shishido had a crush on someone, he feared for his future.

“Now, now!” Jirou grinned, running forward to tackle his friend with a stamina reserved only for exciting tennis matches. That was enough for Shishido to take one step backwards and thank the conveniently placed wall behind him. “Don’t be so grumpy, ‘Shido! You’re gonna grow old before your time. See? See? That’s a wrinkle there.”

“Get off me!” Shishido tried his damnedest to elbow the blond straight on the forehead to no avail. He was far too elusive.

Unexpectedly, Ootori giggled with humour, voice light and bright as he finally let out a laugh so melodious, Shishido found himself staring with his mouth open. It was only thanks to Hiyoshi hitting the back of his head that he managed to snap back into reality and stop staring at the angel in front of him.

“Ah, I apologise,” Wiping the corner of his eyes free of any tears, Ootori finally eased up. “Your friends seem very lovely.”

“I see,” Yuushi nodded, glasses reflecting the light as he placed his fingers on his chin pensively, then turned around and made a circle with Gakuto and Jirou. “So that’s Shishido’s type. Don’t you think he’s setting the bar too high?”

“Yeah, he has no hope there.” The redhead muttered, followed by a round of nodding from Jirou. “Not to mention Hiyoshi seems like he’s about to whoop Shishido flat to the ground.”

“Ah, young love!” Said Yuushi with a dramatic undertone as he clenched his chest, scrunching up his clothes in the process. A split second later, the poor man fell face first as Shishido kicked him on the back.

“I can hear you guys!” Exclaimed the boy angrily.

“Well, mission solved. So, it would seem that Shishido _is_ sick, after all.” Atobe smirked, running his fingers through his hair to further brush and neaten them. “Lovesick.” Taunted the captain, his voice seeping with mirth as he whispered the words out.

“I’m going to go jump off a building somewhere.” Shishido cringed, responded with a giggle from Ootori as he placed a hand on the brunette’s shoulder and leaned in towards his ear, so close that Shishido thought he was about to kiss him. If it was possible for it to be physically seen, Shishido’s ears would have steamed when his face turned beet red.

However, what came next was a little relieving although no less fluster-inducing. Ootori whispered softly, “It’s okay, I get it. Friends really can be a pain sometimes.”

Yup, Shishido decided that he _loved_ flowers.

.

“Oh my god, can you do something about that sorry excuse of a senior?” Hiyoshi rolled his eyes when he saw Shishido staring blankly at the net when the tennis ball whooshed past him and hit the metal partition behind him.

“He hasn’t seen his angel in over two weeks, after all. I think he’s running a bit low on battery.” Yuushi chuckled when he saw the dark amethyst eyes of his friend’s.

“That’s right. Ootori’s the same age as you, isn’t he Hiyoshi?” Gakuto blinked, wondering why he wasn’t attending university. Because as far as looks went, Ootori looked like a gifted kid and if someone with horrible grades like Gakuto was able to pass, he wasn’t sure why Ootori didn’t.

“Yeah,” The brunette nodded in confirmation. “He has always been sickly and he got held back a year because he was in the hospital. He’s all good now, though.”

“Come on, focus!” Atobe raised his voice when he saw the regulars slacking around, gossiping. “It’s open day today. We want to make sure we present ourselves in high esteem. After all, we are the face of the university.”

“Alright, it’s time to get your shit together!” Gakuto yelled out, slapping Shishido on the back so hard the boy lost his balance. However, it seemed like it was unnecessary as from the corner of his eyes, he saw a tall figure approaching the tennis court along with a few others. He quickly made his way as soon as he spotted the one he was looking for.

“Shishido-san!” Ootori beamed, fingers clenching the metal fence.

As if fully charged and ready to go, Shishido lifted his face and turned towards the melodious voice. “C-Choutarou?”

“I...” He smiled shyly, a tinge of red creeping onto his cheeks as he fiddled with the rosary dangling on his neck. “Starting next year, I’ll be attending here. And I might join the tennis club, ah, if that’s okay with you.”

Shishido steamed and he thought he might faint.

Flowers. Flowers are _great._


End file.
